Several entities have approached the Department of Fish and Game in recent years seeking permits to commercially harvest bull kelp in northern California, the most extensive beds of which occur along the Mendocino-Sonoma coast. The purposes and scale of the proposed harvest are not entirely clear, but desired uses include food for commercial abalone aquaculture operations, and also chemical extraction (the main use made of giant kelp harvested in southern California). Large-scale harvesting operations have not yet been allowed.
Bull kelp is a fundamental component of kelp forest habitats along the Mendocino-Sonoma coast. Bull kelp is an important food source for red abalone and red sea urchin, which support important sport and commercial fisheries, and it also helps fuel the base of the food chain for kelp forest habitats. Bull kelp also provides habitat structure for fishes, including popular sport species such as blue rockfish. Thus there are concerns regarding the effects of proposed harvest on nearshore marine habitats and existing uses.
The Department has prepared an environmental document that assesses the impacts of kelp harvest alternatives and recommends a preferred alternative. Copies of the document are available for review at Department of Fish and Game offices. Comments are due April 14, 1995. The Fish and Game Commission is scheduled to adopt regulations at a public hearing in Santa Rosa on August 14, 1995. -DA